Monkeypox is a large double-stranded DNA virus, almost seven times larger than the coronavirus.
Scientists have discovered the source of the monkeypox outbreak. Genetic testing shows that despite the increase in cases, the virus has been quietly circulating in humans since 2018. The NYT writes about it.
European health officials have already identified two versions of monkeypox in American patients, suggesting at least two separate chains of transmission. Investigators in some countries have found cases with no known source of infection, indicating an unspecified community spread.
Genetic information indicates that at some point in the last few years, the virus has begun to spread more efficiently between humans.
“Genomic models suggest this happened in 2018,” said Trevor Bedford, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
If the virus adapts to include humans as hosts, the spread of monkeypox could become more frequent and harder to prevent, he said. This carries the risk that monkeypox could be passed from infected humans to animals – most likely rats – in countries outside Africa, which have struggled with the problem for decades. The virus can stay in infected animals, causing occasional new infections in humans.
“We can also give it back to animals that can spread the disease in the wild, and back to humans,” added Sagan Fryant, an anthropologist at the University of Pennsylvania who spent about 15 years studying the interactions. of human-animal in Nigeria.
The longer it takes to prevent a virus, the more likely it is to find a permanent new home in humans or animals, Dr. Friant says.
As of Wednesday, there were 156 U.S. cases in 23 states and in the District of Columbia. The global toll has exceeded 3,400 confirmed cases, and another 3,500 cases are estimated, three times more than two weeks ago.
In Africa, eight countries reported more than 1,500 suspected cases and 72 deaths on June 10, most of them occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Monkeypox is a large double-stranded DNA virus, almost seven times larger than the coronavirus. DNA -based viruses can correct their own mistakes in reproducing their genetic material. They can only harvest one or two mutations per year, compared to 20 to 30 mutations for an RNA virus such as a coronavirus.
Recall that the first case of monkeypox was recorded recently in Georgia.
Monkeypox is spreading all over the world. What you need to know about him
News from Athletistic in the Telegram. Subscribe to our channel Athletistic
Source: korrespondent
